The Fountain of Bakhchisarai

B. Asafiev

Description

Libretto by Nikolay Volkov, based on Pushkin’s poem Choreography by Rostislav Zakharov

The ballet was written in 1934. This version was first performed in Perm in 2011. Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes including 2 intervals

The narrative basis of The Fountain of Bakhchisarai is the poem of the same name by Alexander Pushkin, based on the legend of the dawn of the Crimean Khanate and the unrequited love of Khan Girey for Maria, a kidnapped Polish princess. Perm’s version of the ballet is a precise reconstruction of the choreography of the first person to stage it: Rostislav Zakharov, the inventor of the ‘dramballet’ genre. The 1934 version was revived by Galina Rakhmanova, a coach at the Mariinsky Theatre, where Zakharov’s ballet was staged for the first time and has been a permanent fixture for many years. The set design and costumes were recreated using the original models and sketches by Valentina Khodasevich.

The production is staged with the support of the Pearl of the Urals Foundation